Throughout its history, the Texel Society has embraced new technologies to support breeders and increase genetic gain in the breed.
Building on the Society’s track record of successfully integrating science and technology into its business, the adoption of genomic evaluations through texelplus is another logical step in the Society’s and breed’s development.
The use of genomics and genomic technologies has been central to recent research and development projects; the knowledge and experience gained from this work over the last decade means the Society is well-placed to use the technology for the benefit of all members.
Genomic evaluations can help to predict future performance more accurately than using simple genetic pedigree information because more detail on the genetic make-up of individual animals is available. This allows breeders to optimise the profitability of their flocks by informing animal selection and supporting breeding decisions.
There are significant benefits for individual animals and at the breed-level from genomic evaluations. Using the process chosen by the Society, all animals benefit from the genomic evaluation whether they’ve been genotyped or not, though those that have been genotyped will benefit more.
The improved accuracies for genotyped animals have knock-on effects, for example by enhancing their parents’, progeny, and siblings’ values, irrespective of those animals being performance recorded.
In addition to providing more accurate breeding value estimates and index values, genomic evaluations can confirm an animal’s parentage where genomic information for the progeny and at least one parent is available. This will be applied to the 2024 and all future lamb crops.
Society monitors single genes
In addition to using genomic analysis for performance recording, the Society has over the past decade increasingly monitored a range of single gene markers within the breed using DNA samples taken from registered sires.
The intention of this monitoring is to ensure the Society’s board is aware of any changing trends in single genes which could be detrimental or provide benefit to the breed, placing the Society on the front foot at all times. Traits currently being monitored are detailed below.
| Trait | Gene/marker |
| Prolificacy | Booroola FecB(B) |
| FexX(G) | |
| FecG(H) | |
| FecG(T) | |
| GDF9_FecG(F) | |
| Inverdale FecX(I) | |
| Muscling/meat quality | Callipyge |
| Myostatin | |
| Yellow fat | |
| Health/Welfare | Scrapie |
| Microphthalmia | |
| Achondroplasia |
How to genotype animals
To genotype animals, nasal swab DNA sampling kits must be requested by members through iTexel. This has been a routine procedure used by members supporting male registrations for many years.
The requested DNA sampling kits will be issued by the Society and members should sample animals as soon as possible, complete the sample submission form, input the sample number on iTexel and return the sample to the Society in the prepaid pack.
Samples will then be submitted to the Society’s genotyping laboratory and the results uploaded to iTexel with members notified by email.
Members are advised to sample as early as possible as turnaround time can be up to eight weeks from receipt in the office and possibly longer in busy periods.
Further information is available in the Society’s Spring Bulletin.
Read the Society’s genomic evaluations Q&A page here.